


I Can Keep a Secret

by changkyuwu



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22286737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changkyuwu/pseuds/changkyuwu
Summary: Most people would consider themselves unlucky if they stumbled into an anarchist groups midnight dealings, but you obviously weren't most people.
Relationships: Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Reader
Kudos: 11





	I Can Keep a Secret

Walking home late at night was never a good idea, but what other option did you have? Sometimes you had to do dangerous things to get by, and that was certainly a habit you had.

You usually turned out fine. You knew to avoid large groups and loud noises, you knew to stick to alleys where you weren’t easily detected. And if it came down to it, you knew how to end someone’s life. And you knew how to get away with it.

It wasn’t hard with how things were nowadays. Authorities were too busy dealing with rebel and anarchist groups rather than some random death in a neighbourhood people like to forget exists.

On this particular night though, you stumbled onto the sight of a couple of boys gathered in an alleyway. You didn’t want to get in trouble with them, but they were blocking your only way home, so you hid yourself behind a wall and listened in on their conversation.

“You’re sure this is the address?”

“For the millionth time, yes. It’s the address I was given, so it has to be.”

“It could be a trick. We could be ambushed.”

“Well, I guess we’ll find that out when Xiumin gets here.”

“You’re really not helping to calm my nerves.”

Knowing that others were on their way, you were about to find a better hiding spot to wait for them to leave, but just as the thought crossed your mind, someone grabbed the back of your shirt. You were pulled backward and a knife was pressed to your throat as you were marched towards the group of people you’d been eavesdropping on.

“What did I tell you guys about making sure an area is clear before going in?” The man behind you asked.

“Uh… they weren’t there before… I think.”

Any group of people hanging out in an alleyway at night were up to something shady. If they thought you knew what was going on, you could be in trouble, so you opted to use the truth in this situation.

“I just got here,” you told the group. “You were blocking my way home so I thought I’d just wait for you to leave.”

“Mhm, that’s believable.”

“Pull out my wallet, check the address on my ID,” you said. “It’s just around the corner.”

The man reached into your pocket to take your wallet and pushed you towards the other two men as he looked at your ID. Finally having a good view of the guy who’d had a knife to your throat, you noticed the tattoo on the back of his hand. An EXO tattoo.

How bad was your luck that you had to have stumbled onto one of the most infamous anarchist groups midnight dealings?

“They’re telling the truth,” he said to his companions. “Have you guys said anything incriminating?”

“No.”

“Alright, I’ll take them back to their house.”

“Careful. They could have a knife,” one said.

“They’d be stupid not to,” he responded, before turning back to you. “Let’s go.”

It was a silent walk back to your apartment building. The only reason you knew the EXO member was behind you was because of the sound his footsteps made on the concrete. It wasn’t until you reached your building that he finally spoke again.

“You’ll keep quiet about what you saw.”

“I can keep a secret,” you glanced once more at the tattoo on his hand. “Good luck with your anarchy.”

You saw a smile crack on his face before he turned around to head back to his group. “Be careful not to wander into anymore illegal activities.”

“No promises,” you whispered, watching him get further and further away.

You hadn’t heard much about EXO, just that authoritarian's hated them. There had been no news articles about them, just talk. You had to wonder why that is.

It was almost certainly a bad idea, but you were going to check out that alleyway again the next day. Maybe you could find out more about the group, if you were lucky.

-

You were disappointed to find nothing in the suspicious alleyway. From what they had been saying, you assumed they were going to meet someone, but you had no idea who or what about.

The building you were outside had been abandoned for a long time. All the windows and doors were boarded up, leaving no way into the place. But it was the address the EXO members had been given. Perhaps if you tried hard enough, you’d be able to find your way in.

After spending five minutes trying to pry boards off of windows though, you were already ready to throw in the towel.

“What are you doing now?” You spun around at the familiar voice. Somehow, the same man from yesterday had managed to sneak up on you again.

“I’m just... doing some light breaking and entering.”

“In the abandoned warehouse that you met an anarchist group outside of?” He asked.

“Oh, I completely forgot about that,” you said. “I just thought I’d try and get into a completely random warehouse for no reason.”

“If you must know, the entrance is on the roof,” he said. “You’ll have to find a ladder.”

“It’s no fun breaking and entering without the breaking part,” you were definitely going to be back later with a ladder despite your complaints.

For now... maybe you could find out more through an actual member of the group.

“Whats your name?” You asked.

“Why would I tell you my name?” He returned.

“It doesn’t have to be your real name,” you answered, “Just something I can call you if we ever meet again.”

“Who says we’ll meet again?”

“It’s more of a hope, really,” you said. “You know my name, you saw my ID. So it’s only fair that I have a name for you.”

“You can call me Xiumin,” he finally relented. “But you should really stay out of things that aren’t your business. There are people I work with who aren’t so lenient when it comes to snooping.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you said. “See you later, Xiumin.”

“I’m sure you will.”

For the rest of the day, even as you were working, you could only think about the warehouse. It was unlikely that anything important was left in there, but you couldn’t help but be curious anyway.

Your thoughts also occasionally strayed to Xiumin. You couldn’t help it, he was both attractive and mysterious, which was probably your biggest weakness when it came to men. Not to mention that he was involved in an anarchist group.

Eventually, you had to get ready for work. Earning money was hard, which is why you decided to take a job working at The Casino. Most people didn’t even know whether the place existed or not, it had to be kept secret lest authorities strike it down, but you had been going there for years now.

Working there required you wear formal clothing, which was near impossible to find at a cheap price, but the pay was good. Any extra expenses were generally taken care of in your paycheck.

After getting your bag ready, you were off. Upon arrival, you got changed into your work clothing, and then it was time to serve drinks and tempt people. You could have walked to The Casino in your suit, but that would only get it dirty and make you a target for any muggings. The big bag hanging off your shoulder already made you seem richer than you were.

“Y/n, did you hear about the debt cancellations?” One of your coworkers, Seulgi, asked. “Someone hacked into a banking network and deleted everyone’s college and medical debt, I don’t even need this job anymore!”

“Do they know who it is?” You asked. “If they manage to get away with it, it’ll be a miracle.”

“No, no one has any idea,” her voice raised with excitement. “But do you wanna know who’s claiming responsibility for it?”

There were plenty of anarchist groups out there but none really that specialised in hacking. Unless it was…

“EXO?” You asked.

“Yep! Don’t know if they really did or not, they could just be making a claim to fame,” she shrugged. “But maybe we can find out tonight. The big boss has extended an invitation to them.”

“EXO is going to visit?”

“Yep, hopefully I’ll get the chance to thank them,” she said. “Anyways, I gotta get back to work. Big night tonight.”

You couldn’t keep the smile off your face as you helped set up the tables in the dining room. The group must have had more members than just Xiumin, but you still hoped he would show up. You wanted to know more about him and his group, and he seemed like an okay person so far.

Of course, you had to focus on doing your job before looking out for any more EXO tattoo’s. The place became busier and busier as the hours ticked on but you eventually saw a group of six people heading into the main area.

Once quick glance brought your gaze to Xiumin and you knew tonight would be a good night.

He looked a little different than earlier, with his hair slicked back and wearing a nice suit, but he was still easy to recognise. Before anyone could beat you to it, you rushed over to greet the group.

“Welcome to The Casino,” they turned to you at the sound of your voice and you were glad to see a flash of recognition in Xiumin’s eyes.

“Uh, thanks,” one of the group said. “... is the place really just called ‘The Casino?’“

“It’s the only one around,” you shrugged. “You can ask the manager about it if you’d like.”

“Could you take us to him?” He asked.

“Of course,” you turned to lead them to his office. When you got there, only one person entered while the rest decided they wanted to look around. Except Xiumin, who seemed like he had questions for you.

“Figures that you’d show up here as well,” he said. “How are you suddenly everywhere?”

“This is my job,” you responded. “And you’re the one who showed up here, maybe it’s your fault.”

“I’m only here because my friend wants me here,” Xiumin said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be anywhere near a place like this.”

“Not a fan of gambling?”

“I’m not a fan of the criminals that hang out here.”

“Fair enough,” you said. “We’re not all criminals though, no more than you are at least.”

“And what crimes have I committed?” Xiumin asked. “The only shady thing you’ve seen me doing is hanging out in an alleyway at night.”

“You put a knife to my throat,” you answered. “You’re forgiven for that by the way, not that you ever said sorry.”

He scoffed, but couldn’t help the smile that emerged on his face. “Sorry for threatening you.”

“Apology accepted,” you said. “Now, would you like me to show you anywhere?”

“To the food.”

“A wise decision.”

You were only meant to show him where to go and then leave to continue your job, but Xiumin asked you stay. Supposedly because he had a horrible sense of direction and needed your help. You didn’t mind though, it got you out of working, and you were still more than slightly into him.

“How did you come to be part of EXO?” You asked as the two of you were walking past the various gambling tables.

“I have a talent, they decided I was useful,” he answered with a shrug. “That’s all there really is to it.”

"Hm, well that’s boring,” you sighed.

“I could make something up if you like,” Xiumin continued. “I was a secret agent for the government sent to infiltrate an anarchist group but went rogue.”

“Ooh, a secret agent, you say? What was that like?”

“An incredibly dangerous job, I risked my life every day,” he exaggerated the tale with egregious hand movements. “I had to live life on the edge, never knowing what the next day would hold.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at his serious expression, which caused a gummy smile to break out on his face. He actually looked... adorable.

“And what exactly made you go rogue?” You were beginning to get interested in his fake backstory.

“Found out the government was lying to me, it tore my whole world apart, and now I’m out for revenge,” Xiumin concluded.

“What an exciting life you’ve led.”

“And you?” Xiumin responded. “How’d you end up working at The Casino?”

“Lust for danger, perhaps,” you answered. “Makes life a little more exciting with the constant threat of death hanging over your head, don't you agree?”

“You might be crazy,” Xiumin shook his head.

“Boredom does that to you,” you said. “Working here means I get to witness a fist fight at least twice a week,  _ and  _ meet people like you.”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that logic.”

The meeting your boss was having had already been going on for over an hour and neither of them had emerged from the office, so you continued to hang out with Xiumin and show him around.

Once Xiumin’s boss finally did emerge from the office, he took off with the rest of the people that had come. But Xiumin decided to stay because you were in the middle of a game of pool and he was determined to beat you.

Even after your shift was over, you stayed to continue hanging out with Xiumin. Finally being able to drink though, the both of you headed for the bar and spent the rest of the night there, talking about everything you could think off.

“Okay,” you slammed your sixth shot on the counter. “Aliens. Real or not?”

“Have to be,” he responded. “The universe is infinite and anything that  _ can _ happen eventually  _ will _ . Even if they don’t exist right now, they probably have in the past and probably will again.”

“Mm,” you nodded. “Law of whatever, or… whatever.”

“What about magic?” Xiumin asked.

“Depends how you define magic, right?” You responded. “I mean, existence is pretty magic, but there is science behind it. You know, maybe everything is magic and science is just the understanding of it.”

Xiumin thought for a moment before downing his own drink. “Yeah, sounds legit.”

“Y/n, I hate to interrupt your date, but you know closing time is soon,” one of the bartenders said. “I’m afraid I have to kick you out.”

“Oh, it’s chill,” you said. “Just give me one last free drink, and I’ll be off.”

The guy turned to pour you another shot and you turned back to Xiumin.

“So this is a date now?” He asked.

“Well, I don’t call any kind of hang out a ‘date’ unless I get to take someone home,” you turned back to the bartender to grab your last drink and down it before standing up, offering a hand to Xiumin.

“Shall we?”

“Shall we what?” He questioned.

“Head home.”

He continued to stare for a few more moments, before placing his hand in yours.

“Let’s go.”


End file.
